Tapir!

We’ve fallen red-papier-mâché-head-over-heels in love with the debut album from this 6-piece! It’s become a good friend to us: not a party animal, hedonist friend, but a reliable, warm and comforting friend that’s known you for years, knows when you just need to sit together, be still and decompress.

The South London collective, led by Ike Gray, serves as a “boiling together” of different mediums: at once musical, theatrical, mythological, artistic and collaborative. The album follows a three-act structure telling the story of a solitary traveller - that ambiguous red creature known as ‘The Pilgrim’. A fantastical offbeat fable carried along by Ike’s crisp, unfeigned vocals and the band’s instinctive, deliciously idiosyncratic melodies.

An aural adventure outside of the everyday, the record provides an escape from the trappings of the modern material world, a sidestep into a pre-industrial, pre-internet wonderland where we can breathe easy, unlock our creativity and connect with ourselves and our community. It’s a beautifully wholesome listen that gathers new disciples with every play, like a funny little pointy-nosed pied piper taking us on a relaxing ramble across the green fields depicted on the sleeve.

Open your door. Let the Pilgrim come sit with you by the fire for a while.

Our Patrick says: "To be a January release and remain atop my rankings is something very special. Good thing this is something incredibly special indeed. It endured the cold and wet winter months, with endearing warmth thawing the February frost, whilst its charm soundtracked the spring and summer. Even as another winter comes, its beauty is not lost to any repeat spins. After two more standout singles, Tapir!’s upward momentum may not stop."